What does 'oil is non-renewable' mean?

Answer 1

Because the crude oil is produced (as are all fossil fuels) from the remains of plants and animals over millions of years.

To be considered renewable, a resource must be replaceable within a reasonable amount of time (days to years). Crude oil takes millions of years to replace, far too long for us to wait around for more to be made.

There is a limited amount of fossil fuel oil in the earth and it is believed by most that we are using it faster than it takes for the earth to make it, millions of years. Some day we will run out of oil. The question debated is how soon.

(Vegetable oil, of course, is a renewable energy source.)

Answer 2

It means that oil can never be used once it has been used up. Unlike paper, metal, plastic and other materials that can be recycled, oil cannot be recycled to be reused. Also, unlike sunlight, water or wind, which are renewable sources of energy, oil is limited and thus is non-renewable.

Oil can be recycled to make base stock, for petroleum products.

Oil is a non-renewable resource because it cannot be produced on a scale that will sustain its consumption rate.

Renewable and recycleable are different topics. "Renewable" indicates the method of initial production, while "Recycleable" refers to the ability to be used more than once. An items can be Recycleable without being Renewable (most metals are examples), and something can be Renewable without being Recycleable (most energy, like solar, wind, and hydro).

The word "Sustainable" is now catching on to cover anything which is Renewable or Recycleable, as the inference is that both topics cover things which humans can use indefinitely with very low impact on the environment.

To the original question: Oil is a non-renewable resource because we can't make oil, and the natural process which creates new oil is exceedingly slow. Oil is made over hundreds of thousands of years by geological processes deep within the earth. So, at any one point in time, there is a fixed amount of it available for use. We can invent new methods for finding and more efficient methods for extracting oil, but there's still only a set amount available to use. Once it's gone, we will have to wait for the Earth to produce more. To put it in perspective: humans did not begin to do large-scale oil extraction until the mid-1800s. The total amount of oil available then was the result of millions (actually, hundreds of millions) of years of geological processes. We will use all of that huge reserve of oil up within 300 years or so (likely sometime in the 22nd century). So, humans are consuming oil at about one million times faster than the Earth can produce new oil.

Answer 3

yes it is a nonrenewable source of energy
Yes, oil is no longer being 'made'... and so will eventually be used up.

Renewable energy sources like the wind, wave and solar power, etc will not 'run out' (at least for any concievable amount of time)

Answer 4

after you burn the oil in a car you cant get that oil back so its nonrenewable lick coal